What Facing History and Ourselves Meant to Me
As a junior in high school, I remember filling out my course selection sheet and writing under course name Facing History and Ourselves. One of the main reasons I choose the course was because I heard from upperclassmen that it was an easy and fun class. To be honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The material covered was not fun and some days I sat in class with tears in my eyes. Each and every day I felt that I’d enter the class as one person and come out with a whole new outlook on life.
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The course, Facing History and Ourselves means more to me than I ever thought it would. This course is truly unlike any other course offered at Westborough High School. Of my four years at this high school I have never been in a course where I’ve been put to tears because of the material covered. This is one of those courses where what you put in is what you’ll get out of it. Each and every day was a new and exciting day. I was always engaged in the material and I looked forward to class each day.
This course has changed me, both as a student and as a person. As a student, I’ve learned about the past and important events in world history like the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide. This course has privileged me to learn about the Holocaust and the reality of it. Two films that really struck me about the holocaust was "The Boy in the Blue Stripped Pajamas" and "The Uprising". "The Uprising" showed me that the Jewish people who were trapped in the Ghettos did everything they could to resist Nazi power. I think this movie really stuck with me because everyone who fought against the Nazis put their life at risk to save their neighbors. One of the morals I got from this movie was that one person can really make a difference. One particular scene that reinforced this was when one of the girls acted as though she was dead and as she was lying there about three Nazi’s approached her and in here hand was a grenade. She pulled the trigger, killing not only herself but the three Nazi’s as well. Despite the fact that there hundreds of Nazis she made a difference by eliminating three of them. It takes a lot of guts to take your own life so your neighbors can live theirs.
"The Boy in the Blue Stripped Pajamas" was also another movie that left me in tears. The killing of thousands of Jews daily in the concentration camps had no impact on Bruno’s father what so ever. To him, gassing them to death and burning them to death was only a job. The father didn’t have a clue as to the consequences of his actions. He never took a second to think about the people who would be affected by his actions. It shouldn’t have taken the death of his son to realize that what he was doing was wrong. Another lesson I learned from day one in this course is that you should never be a bystander. Even though Bruno’s father didn’t do the killing himself he knew exactly what was going on inside the electric barbed wire. He could have saved thousands of lives every day by not going through with orders. He should have taken the initiative to not part take in those horrible actions.
The film ‘Freedom Writers’ was one that questioned what I wanted to do with my life. I found it amazing how Ms. Gruwell’s dedication as a teacher saved some of her kid’s life. She was a huge role model and made an enormous impact in each and every one of her student’s life. After watching a movie like this, it makes you want to do something with your life that will make a difference to others. This film also helped me realize that it’s the little things in life that can make someone’s day. Also, the amount of respect that Ms. Gruwell had for her students and the respect that they had for her went a long way. They not only respected each other but they also built trust. The relationships that they built helped make the difference in their community.
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This course benefited me as both a student and a person. This benefitted me in both aspects because as a student I was able to learn about the past and as a person I was able to learn about myself. I don’t think there is another course offered that has helped me grow as an individual and I am thankful for taking this course because it helped me realize that I can make a difference and I can do better things in life. I can be the change that I want to see in the world. I think that it’s important that everyone is treated the way I expect to be treated. What I’ve learned from this class will help me as both a student and as a person. There are so many values in life and I think one of the most important things that I have gotten out of this class is the fact that I can make a difference in the world.
It is hard to communicate how much this class has impacted my life. Each and every day I left the class acting and thinking differently. I also realized that it has made me want to reach out to others. Many days I sat in class on the verge of crying thinking how can someone treat someone else so poorly and not care that they are hurting another human being. It made me sick to my stomach that people can treat other people as if they’re not human. As the course comes to an end I have made a promise to myself to be better and be the difference that I want to see. It’s important to take time and appreciate the small things in life, and a simple complement can go a long way in life.
I would now like to take the time to thank Mr. Gallagher for making a difference in my life. I will never forget this class and the difference he has made not only to me but this school. The Facing History and Ourselves course that he has brought to Westborough is the best course offered at Westborough high school. Words cannot explain how grateful I am to have chosen this course.
